Even if the concrete that fell off the Greenfield Bridge Monday and injured a Parkway East driver turns out to have been intentionally thrown, there's no disputing that the bridge has a history of troublesome incidents.

In 1982, the bridge was rebuilt. But in 1990, nets were put under the bridge to protect people from falling chunks. It turns out that the city is getting ready for another rehab of the 82-year-old span.

Greenfield Bridge was falling down in 1990. Chunks of crumbling concrete damaged cars on the Parkway East, but no one was seriously injured.

At the time, city officials said repairing the bridge was a top priority. But it had just been repaired in 1982. No repairs have been done since.

Bob O'Connor, city councilman: "We have had a lot of excuses why this thing can't be fixed right, or why it wasn't fixed right in the first place."

Van Osdol: "How frustrating is that to you?"

O'Connor: "Very frustrating. I drive under that bridge every day."

Why has it taken so long for the arch to be rehabbed?

Bob DiCicco, city Department of Engineering: "Chunks of concrete been falling out of this bridge for years. We have the nets up and the nets were doing their job, which they have been doing."

Records obtained by Team 4 show inspectors have found the bridge in need of replacement for at least eight years. In 1995, inspectors gave the bridge a score of 46 on a scale of 0-100. In 1999, the bridge got the same score. Bridges that score below 50 qualify for federal money to be replaced.

The city is getting ready to once again rehabilitate the bridge. In fact, just last month, City Council approved extra money to build what is, in effect, a bridge beneath the bridge that will be used during the rehab process.

For now, the city says Parkway East drivers do not need to worry.

DiCicco: "The nets are doing their jobs. Small flakes found in nets, so they don't see it as a problem."

Van Osdol: "So the bridge is safe?"

DiCicco: "The bridge is safe."

O'Connor is not so sure. He says if that platform had been built, the Monday morning accident might never have occurred.

O'Connor: "My concern is to do it right. When you think about having a net there all the time, there's not a lot of confidence in what's being done."

The city will have the platform built by the end of the summer. Work on fixing the bridge will be done in 2004.

O'Connor says the city has had a hard time getting federal money to fix the bridge, because it has been such a short time since it was previously repaired.